Method of forming boxes



March 15, 1938. 1 5 ES 2,111,157

METHOD OF FORMING BOXES Original Filed Aug. "21, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

March 15, J, 3 KES 2,111,157

METHOD OF FORMING BOXES Original Filed Aug. 21, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2:

|\ Q lllllllllllllllll f l INVENTOR. XX M 2 BY ggazw v ATTORNEY.

March 15, 1938.

J. S. STOKES METHOD OF FORMING BOXES Original Filed Aug. 21, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. 1%. XI. M BY Mi C075;

. ATTORNEY.

J. S. STOKES METHOD OF FORMING BOXES Original Filed Aug. 21, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 BY I ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 15, 1938 PATENT OFFICE LIETHOD F FORMINGBOXES John S. Stokes,;Huntingdon Valley, Pa., assignor to Stokes and Smith fiompanmjsummerdale, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 21, 1935, Serial No. 37,162

' Renewed August 17,1937

20- Claims.

My invention relates to methods for forming and covering or staying boxes; containers, cartons or the like, hereinafter generically termed -boxes. In accordance withmy invention, a box blank "adapted to form, for example, the bottom and one or more vertical walls of a box, is bent and substantially immediately registered upon two or inore separate, spaced pieces of sheet material, "such as components of a composite wrapper, "tabbed, or untabbed, or tab strips preferably held fiat by suction on a conveyor.

My invention further resides in the methods hereinafter described and claimed.

This application is a continuation-in-part of -my copendingapplication Serial No. 586,530, filed January 14, 1932 and upon which has issued Letters Patent No, 2,015,202.

' For an understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which, in perspective:

' Figure 1 illustrates the formation of assemblies each comprising the main component of a threepiece box and stay strips;

Fig. 2 illustrates the supply of box ends to a form block;

, Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate the partially completed and completed box, respectively;

' Fig. 5'illustrates the box of Fig. 4 with a wrap- "30'per applied;

, Fig. 6 illustrates the formation of assemblies each comprising a one-piece box blank and stay strips or tabs; 1

' Fig. '7 illustrates the formation of assemblies eachcomprising a one-piece'box blank and short stay strips or tabs;

*Fig; 8 illustrates the formation of a'ssemblies each comprising a box blank and components of akfour-piece Wrapper;

V Fig. 9 illustrates the partially completed box; Figs. 10 and 11 show the completed box in up- ;right'and inverted position, respectively;

' Fig. l2'shows the main component of a threepiece wrapper;

Fig. 13 shows the box-made, using the wrapper component of Fig. 12;

Figs.'14 and 15 illustrate the use of stacks of box blanks, of the one-piece and three-piece types, respectively.

Referring to Fig. '1, the strip of box material removed from the roll R. is scored lengthwise, as -'by knives l, the distance between the scores be- "ingequal to the length or widthof'the box. For convenience of further explanation, it -will be 555 assumed-that the-distancebetween thescoring is After completion of one blank, the next blank,

"completely formed except for the cutting operation, is brought into position for severance from the strip by knives 4 and, at the same time, the knives l-score the parts of the strip subsequently to be formed into blanks.

Concurrently with the formation of the blanks Bl the tabs T! are cut from the tab strips RT, as by-knives I2, coated with adhesive, and delivered to the conveyor 5. The feeding, cutting and delivery of the tabs may be performed by mecha-' nism shown in Rider Patent No, 1,806,181.

Preferably, as shown, the stay strips TI, are somewhat greater in length than the width of the blank Bl. The strips with their adhesive-coated side on top, are transported in pairs by the suc- 'tion conveyor 5 beneath the plungerfi.

The plunger, which may comprise a suction plate, engages the end blank BI, and after the knives 4, 1 are operated to sever it from the strip, the plunger moves downwardly passing through an opening formed by the side folding slides 1,1 which-causes the side panels Bs to assume an upright position. Preferably, to avoid all possibility of the sides of the completed box being bowed, the panels are bent through an arc substantially greater than 90 and for that purpose the slides i, I move inwardly from the position shown to bend the panels nearly fiat against thethin plate 6. For brevity, blanks so treated are hereinafter termed bent.

The blanks are transferred by the plunger 6 through the bending stage exemplified by the slide '1 and deposited upon the tab strips TI, as indicated, leaving parts of the strips projecting beyond the sidesand ends of the blank.

Preferably, at a point beyond the registering station, theside panels B5 of the blank or main box component are flattened against the tab strips Tl while stillsubject to suction.

The strips project beyond the sides of the blank or main component, so that at the box-forming station exemplified by form block 9, Fig. 2, these projecting tabportions may be folded into engagement with the box-end components BE Which may be cut from a strip removed from rolls RE. The tabs, when applied, hold the box walls or panels in box-forming position. A box-forming machine for supplying box-end components out from strip material to a form block, such as "formblock 9 of Fig. 2, is described and claimed in Rider et al, Patent No. 1,933,566. Since the tabs are preferably longer than the width of the main component, they have ends projecting above the top edges of the box at the corners, Fig. 3, which may be turned inwardly and downwardly, as shown in Fig. 4, to strengthen the corners of the box.

Specifically, in the method shown in Fig. 1, a strip of box material is fed step by step toward the bending station; the blanks out from the strip are bent in succession and each in turn is transferred into registered adhesive engagement with a group of detached tabs, cut from the rolls RT and fed step by step by conveyor B toward the bending station. The conveyor 5 is at rest during the transfer of a blank into engagement with a group of tabs to form an assembly which thereafter is moved step by step by the conveyor to- Ward the box-forming station. If desired, the blanks may be fed from a stack toward the bending station, as in subsequently described modifications.

It is to be noted that no wrapper is used, allowing a maximum of economy when the box is to serve as a shipping container, for example, or for other uses where wrapping for improved appearance is unnecessary. This method also affords economy of box material as the amount of cardboard used is no greater than the actual area of the box panels. There is no cardboard loss by corner notching of the box blanks or any overlapping of the cardboard.

If desired, the unwrapped stayed box of Fig, 4 may be covered. For example, the box F4 may again be passed through a wrapping machine and a wrapper applied thereto in the usual manner. The resulting box Fia, shown in Fig. 5, is the same as that of Fig. 4 except that it is covered by a wrapper.

As shown in Fig. 6, the blanks, instead of each being the main component of a three-piece box, may be one-piece box blanks having a bottom panel Bb, side panels Br, and end panels Be. The blanks B may be fed in succession from the stack SB to the plunger 6 which transfers them in succession on to the successive pairs of tab strips TI. Alternatively, the blanks may, as shown in Fig. 7, be cut from a strip of box material fed toward plunger 6.

Preferably, all of the panels are bent to avoid possibility of bowing of the sides of the completed box, and for that purpose the slides i, 8, in succession or in pairs, move inwardly from the position shown to bend the panels nearly fiat against the top of plunger 6.

Preferably, before the assembly leaves the conveyor surface, and while still subject to suction, at least the side panels of the box blank are pressed fiat against the tab strips.

The blank with the tab strips adhering thereto is transported by the conveying surface 5 towards a box-forming station, for example, a box machine generally of the type shown in United States Letters Patent No. 1,541,255 to Federwitz et al., where the side and end panels of the blank are erected and the projecting portions of the tabs applied to hold them in box-forming position. Insofar as external apearance is concerned, the partially and fully completed box, using a onepiece blank, is the same as appears in Figs. 3 and 4, respectively. If desired, a wrapper may be subsequently applied, whereupon the completed box has the same appearance as the box of Fig. 5.

Particularly, when the box blank is of the onepiece type, it is not always necessary that long tabs be used. As shown in Fig. 7, each of the box blanks B may be bent and registered upon a group of four short tabs each of which is substantially equal in length or preferably somewhat greater in length than the height of the box. These tabs are cut from the tab rolls RT, coated with adhesive, and delivered to the conveyor in groups of two pairs each. The mechanism disclosed in Rider Patent No. 1,806,181 is suitable for feeding, cutting and conveying groups of tabs in this manner.

In this modification, as in those previously described, the conveyor surface preferably moves intermittently in timed relation to the reciproca tion of the suction plate, so that the box blank, whether it be a one-piece blank or the main component of a multi-piece blank, engages the tab strips while they are stationary. Further, it is preferable that the conveyor surface shall simultaneously carry more than one group of tabs and/ or assemblies.

Before the assemblies are transported to a wrapping machine forcompletion of a box, it is desirable that the side panels of the blank be pressed downwardly to insure intimate engagement with the four asociated tabs which, as indicated, project beyond the sides and preferably also beyond the ends of the blank. At the wrapping station the walls of the blank are erected in the usual manner and the projecting portions of the tabs applied to the end panels of the blank to hold them in box-forming position. Preferably, the tabs are sufliciently long to project to some extent above the upper edges of the box so that they may be turned inwardly and downwardly, as in Fig. 4.

Particularly, when it is intended that a wrapper is not to be applied, it is desirable also that the tabs should overlap to some extent the bottom panel of the blank to afford enhanced strength at the trihedral corners formed by the bottom side of the end panels. If desired, a wrapper may be subsequently applied to the stayed, unwrapped box by again passing it through a wrapping machine for application of a wrapper thereto in the usual manner.

The one-piece blanks, for use with short tabs, may be fed from a stack, as shown in Fig. 6, or may, as shown in Fig. 7, be cut from a strip of box material removed from the roll R.

In the latter case, as the strip of box material is fed towards the bending station, it is scored longitudinally, as by the knives I, the distance between the scoring being, for example, substantially equal to the width of the bottom of the boxes tobe formed. The knives 3, 3, operative while the strip is at rest, cut out the material at both edges of the strip between the side panels Bs and adjacent blanks B. The strip is preferably also scored transversely by scoring rolls 2, as indicated by the dotted lines :12, :1: to define the end panels Be of the adjacent blanks. The strip is subsequently severed as by knives 4 between the transverse scoring to form one-piece box blanks.

After completion of one blank, it is understood that the next blank completely formed, except for the final cutting operation, is brought into position for severance from the strip by knives 4 and,

at the same time, or susbtantially concurrently,

the scoring of portions of the strip subsequently ,to be formed into blanks is taking place; i. e.,

Concurrentlywith the formation of the box blanks, the-tab strips RT-are cut to formgroups of tabs T, as previously described.

The box blanks, are therefore, in succession cut =froma strip and, in succession, bent and regis- ;tered upon a group of detached tabs preferably held flat by suction in a registering'position.

"As in the preceding modifications, after each blank has been deposited upon a group of tabs to unite them, the conveyor again moves forward to bring another group of tabs into a registering .position beneath the bending station for registering adhesive attachment of the next box blank and to move the assembly just formed from the assembly station toward the box-forming station.

Figs. 8 to 11 illustrate my method of forming a box from a one-piece blank and a four-piece wrap-per. 'I'lieboxblanks are formed from a strip and transported to a bending station in the manner explained in connection with Fig. 7. Wrapper side panels WS are removed in pairs from the stacks .Ss, coated with adhesive, as by their passage over'roll II and transferred to the conveyor which transports them in aligned spaced relation adjacent to the bending station.

Preferably, as the side panels'are being coated with adhesive, there are deposited thereon at the portions of the panels adapted to overlie the corners of the completed box, the tabs 1? "which are cut from the rolls RT of tab material by the knives l2.

While the conveyor is stationary with a pair "of panels WS beneath the bending station, the suction plate, or transfer plunger 6 transports a blank B toward the conveyor, bending it as it passes the slides 1, 8, and deposits it upon the wrapper side'panels which'are, as indicated, so disposed that their adjacent portions m, 3 engage the bottom panel Bb of the box. Preferably, and as indicated, the side panels B8 of the box are, in this modification, pressed flat against the wrapper side panel while the assembly is still at the registering station, instead of subsequently, as in previously described modifications.

The wrapper end panels WE, removed from stacks Se thereof, are fed, as by a conveyor l3, toward the delivery end of conveyor 5 in proper spaced relation, so that a box'and wrapper assembly can be removed from conveyor 5 and deposited upon a pair of Wrapper end panels WE to bring the four panels in their proper relative position to complete the assembly of the composite wrapper upon the blank.

The portions me, of the end panels WE, engage only the ends of the bottom panel Bl) of the blank B so that, in effect, the box blank is in engagement with a wrapper which does not cover 'the'bottom of the box. a

The assemblies may be fed in succession by the conveyor l3 toward a wrapping station, specifically to the form block 9 of a wrapping machine, Fig. '9; where the projecting portions of the wrapper elements are applied to hold the erected box-walls in box-forming position.

In itsupright position, the completed box F2, Fig. 10, looks the-same as that of Fig. 5, but when the box is inverted, Fig. 11, it is seen that the bottom of the box is uncovered except along its edges which are covered by the narrow strips ms and me.

If, with this same general method, the'wrapper component WZ, Fig. 12, be substituted for the separate wrapper endpanels'WE, the box blank,

as -delivered to the wrapping machine form --block, has attached thereto a -three-piece composite wrapper, having the bottomcovering panel Wb and end-covering panels WE for covering the bottom of the box, as well as the sides and ends, to form a completely wrapped box F3, Fig. 13.

An advantage of both methods is that a great saving of paper is effected; in the method using the four-piece wrapper, the paper for covering the box bottomis. saved, While with both the three and four-piece Wrappers there is saved the paper otherwise wasted by corner notching.

As shown in Fig. 14, the box blanks B, in performance of the methods of Figs. '8 to 13, instead of being cut'from strip, may be fed in succession from a stack SB to a transfer point from which the plunger 6 moves them toand through a-bending station into registering'engagement'with a pair of wrapper panels WS.

Great economy of both box material and paper can be effected by making the box in three pieces,-

as'previously described in connection with Fig. 1,

and the wrapper of three or four pieces, as described in connection with Figs. 8 to 13. As indicated in Fig. 15, the blanks B I, adapted to form the'bottom and sides of a box, may be fed in succession from a stack to the transfer plunger 6 which passes then through the bending station into registering engagement with a pair of wrapper components WS.

While I have illustrated and described preferred methods, it is to be understood my invention is not limited thereto but is coextensive in scope with the appended claims.

What I claim is:

'1. The method of making boxes which comprises feeding groups of detached elements. of

sheet material along a path to an assembly station, effecting registering adhesive engagement 2. The method of making boxes which come prises feeding groups of detached elements of sheet material along a path to an assembly sta- --tion,'bending box blanks in succession, effecting registering engagement between the successively bent blanks with successive groups of said de-;

tached elements attheassembly station to form essembliesand transporting the assemblies in succession to a box-forming station and there completing the formation of boxes from said assemblies.

3. The method of making stayed boxes which .comprises feeding groups of detached tab strips along a pathto an assembly station, effecting registering adhesive engagement between box blanks with successive groups of said detached tab strips at the assembly station to form assemblies, and transporting the assemblies in succession to a box-forming station and there forming and staying the boxes.

4. The method of making stayed boxes which comprises feeding groups of detached tab strips I along a path to an assembly station, bending box blanks in succession, effecting registering adhe- -sive engagement between the bent blanks with V successive groups of said detached tab strips atthe assembly station to form assemblies, and transporting the assemblies in succession to a box-forming station and there forming and staying the boxes. 7 5. The method of makingstayed boxes W-hic comprises feeding detached tab strips in pairs along a path to an assembly station, bending box blanks in succession, effecting registering adhesive engagement of the bent blanks at opposite ends of a panel thereof with successive pairs of said detached tab strips at the assembly station to form assemblies, and transporting the assemblies in succession to a box-forming station and there forming and staying the boxes.

6. The method of making stayed boxes which comprises feeding detached tab strips in groups of two pairs along a path to an assembly station, bending box blanks, effecting registering adhesive engagement of the bent blanks at opposite ends of two panels thereof with successive groups of. said detached tab strips at the assembly station to form assemblies, and transporting the assemblies in succession to a box-forming station and there forming and staying the boxes.

7. The method of making and covering boxes which comprises feeding groups of detached wrapper components along a path to an assembly station, effecting registering adhesive engagement between box blanks with successive groups of said detached wrapper components at the assembly station, and transporting the assemblies to a box forming and covering station and there forming and covering the boxes.

8. The method of making boxes which comprises feeding groups of. detached elements of sheet material along a path toward a box-forming station, feeding box blanks to a bending station adjacent said path in advance of said boxforming station, bending the blanks at said bending station, and effecting adhesive registering engagement of 'the bent blanks with successive groups of said detached elements adjacent the bending station, and transporting the assemblies so formed to the box-forming station and there forming the boxes.

9. The method of making stayed boxes which comprises feeding .groups of detached tabs along a path toward a box-forming station, feeding box blanks to a bending station adjacent said path in advance of said box-forming station, bending the blanks at said bending station, and effecting adhesive registering engagement of the bent blanks with successive groups of said detached tabs adjacent the bending station, and transporting the assemblies so formed to the boxforming station and there staying the boxes.

10. The method of making and covering boxes which comprises feeding groups of detached wrapper components along a path toward a box forming and covering station, feeding box blanks to a bending station adjacent said path in advance of said first-named station, bending the blanks at said bending station, and effecting adhesive registering engagement of the bent blanks with successive groups of. said detached wrapper components adjacent the bending station, and transporting the assemblies so formed to the box forming and covering station and'there forming and covering the boxes.

11. The method of staying and covering boxes which comprises feeding detached components of wrappers in groups along a path toward a boxcovering station, tabbing the detached wrapper components at a station along said path, bending box blanks at a bending station adjacent said path in advance of said box-covering station and beyond the tabbing station, and effecting registering adhesive engagement of the bent blanks in succession with successive groups of detached tabbed wrapper components, and transporting the assemblies so formed to the box-covering station and there staying the box blanks and covering the boxes.

12. The method of making boxes which comprises feeding groups of detached elements of sheet material step by step along a path toward a box-forming station, intermittently feeding a strip of box material toward a bending station adjacent said path in advance of said box-forming station, severing said strip to form box blanks, bending the blanks in succession at said bending station, and effecting adhesive registering engagement of the successive bent blanks with successive groups of said detached elements adjacent said bending station, and transporting the assemblies so formed to the box-forming station and there forming the boxes.

13. The method of making boxes which comprises feeding groups of detached elements of. sheet material step by step along a path toward a box-forming station, feeding blanks in succession from a stack to a bending station adjacent said path in advance of said box-forming station, bending the blanks in succession at said bending station, and effecting adhesive registering engagement of the successive bent blanks with successive groups of said detached elements adjacent said bending station, and transporting the assemblies so formed to said box-forming station and there forming the boxes.

14. The method of making stayed boxes which comprises feeding groups of. detached tabs step by step along a path toward a box-forming station, intermittently feeding a strip of box material toward a bending station adjacent said path in advance of said box-forming station, severing said strip to form box blanks, bending the blanks in succession at said bending station, and effecting adhesive registering engagement of the successive bent blanks with successive groups of said tabs adjacent said bending station, and transporting the assemblies so formed to the box-forming station and there staying the box blanks in box-forming relation.

15. The method of making stayed boxes which comprises feeding groups of detached tabs step by step along a path toward a box-forming station, feeding blanks in succession from a stack to a bending station adjacent said path in ad- Vance of said box-forming station, bending the.

blanks in succession at said bending station, and effecting adhesive registering engagement of the successive bent blanks with successive groups of said tabs adjacent said bending station, and transporting the assemblies so formed to said box-forming station and there staying the box blanks in box-forming relation.

16. The method of. making a box which comprises flattening a group of detached elements of sheet material upon a conveyor surface, moving a scored blank along a path into adhesive registering engagement with the group of said detached elements flattened on said surface, at a point in said path bending the blank at its scoring, and conveying the bent blanks and the attached elements of sheet material by said surface toward a box-forming station and there forming the boxes.

17. In the operation of a box-forming system including a box-machine having a form block and a conveyor, the method which comprises feeding groups of detached elements of sheet material toward the box machine by said conveyor, supplying box blanks to a bending station adjacent the conveyor, transferring the box blanks from the bending station each into registering adhesive attachment with a group of said detached elements to form an assembly, and transferring the assemblies from said conveyor to the form block of said machine.

18. The method of making boxes which comprises feeding groups of detached elements of sheet material along a path to an assembly station, effecting registered adhesive engagement between one-piece box blanks and successive groups of. said detached elements at the assembly station to form assemblies, and transporting the assemblies in succession to a box-forming station and there completing the formation of boxes from said assemblies.

19. The method of making boxes which comprises feeding elongated detached tabs in groups of two along a path to an assembly station, effecting registered adhesive engagement of one-piece box blanks with successive groups of said elongated tabs at the assembly station to form assemblies, and transporting the assemblies so formed to a box-forming station and there completing application of, the tabs to form stayed boxes.

20. The method of making boxes which comprises feeding detached tabs in groups of two pairs along a path to an assembly station, effecting registered adhesive engagement of one-piece box blanks with successive groups of said detached tabs at the assembly station to form assemblies, and transporting the assemblies to a. box-forming station and there completing application of the tabs to form stayed boxes.

JOHN S. STOKES. 

